Skulduggery in The Château Kitchens
French Pears
Of all the royal châteaux along the Loire, that of Amboise was the most easily defended. It was the reason why it was chosen as the royal nursery.
However, all the armed guards in France are not of much use if the enemy is within.
In April 1551, Robert Stewart, a trusted Scots Guard (appointed personal bodyguard of the King) at the Château tried to murder eight year old Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots.
She was not told of the assassination attempt until much later.
According to the surprisingly few records of the event, he seemed to be acting alone, biding his time.
Another surprise is until Mary joined the French royal family the spelling of her Clan’s name was Stewart. ‘W’ was and is still not used in France so her name was spelled Stuart which was easier to pronounce (surely the Stewart Clan was incensed at the name change)?
Did the would be assassin and his would be victim belong to the same Clan? No. Robert Stewart was not his real name. His birth name seems not to be recorded.
Stewart, a Protestant through and through, did not want Mary, a Catholic, queen of Scotland but he had other, equally strong, motives. He hated her mother, Marie of Guise, he hated Henry II and he hated France.
When Marie of Guise married James V, the so called Robert Stewart resented the Frenchification of Scotland which intensified following the death of James V and Marie’s decision as Queen Mother to marry her daughter to the dauphin of France. He resented her appointment of Frenchmen to positions of power and bitterly resented the presence of French troops in his country.
Henry II, who saw himself as Protector of Scotland (against England) planned to build a Franco-Scottish Catholic kingdom by naturalising all Scots but Stewart’s hatred of Marie of Guise and Catholicism went even deeper.
James Hamilton, the Scottish Earl of Arran, the French appointed Duke of Châtellerault in France, the French appointed Regent of Scotland, Marie of Guise and Cardinal David Beaton vowed to persecute Protestants who rejected the Mass and denounced the Pope as the Anti-Christ. The much admired Protestant preacher George Wishart was arrested on Beaton's orders and taken to St. Andrews Castle. At his Show Trial, prosecuted by Beaton's appointed Public Accuser of Heretics, he was burnt at the stake. Cardinal Beaton watched from the castle windows.
Wishart’s followers stormed St Andrews Castle and assassinated Beaton.
James Hamilton and his forces besieged the Castle for eighteen months with little affect. Cleutin, the French Ambassador to Scotland, told Marie of Guise to promise the Protestants they would be granted everything they demanded and behead them all when they came out.
Marie asked Henry II to send troops.
In 1547 Henry sent his fleet. His admiral and military engineer, the Italian Leone Strozzi, directed a devastating artillery bombardment.
The Protestants, forced to surrender, were taken to France. The gentry was put in prison. The others were used as galley slaves to take the prisoners to France. One was John Knox*.
Chained to benches, they rowed all day. A French officer watched, whip in hand as they navigated the Seine to Rouen. Some, who were ordered to row to Nantes, stayed on the Loire throughout the winter. They were threatened with torture if they did not give proper signs of reverence when mass was performed on the ship.
Some nobles sent to the fortress at Mont Saint-Michel managed to overpower their captors. They made their way to Finistere in Brittany and boarded a ship to England. Was Robert Stewart one of them? Whoever he was, he was determined to revenge himself on Marie of Guise.
Château Royal d'Amboise, Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau
Marie was staying with Mary in Château Amboise discussing the settlement for her daughter's future marriage to the dauphin. She was ecstatically happy. This was the first time in three years mother and child had seen each other. Marie knew the Château well. She was maid of honour here to Eleanor of Austria, the second wife of Francis I. It was the first time in over ten years Marie was back in her beloved country since she was forced to leave Château Dun to marry James V of Scotland.
The so called Robert Stewart changed his name, joined the Scots Guard and ended up at the French Court in Amboise. On some pretext or other, the Guard went to the royal kitchens** where the cook was preparing pear fritters for the little Queen. Stewart tried to poison her favourite dessert but was caught red handed. He managed to escape to London but a month later was in Angers awaiting execution.
Marie of Guise was so traumatised she became quite ill and took to her bed for a while. She did not want to leave Mary but her ruthless controlling brothers ordered her to return to Scotland. They wanted a queen in the family and France needed an ally against England. Both betrayed her. She died alone in Scotland without support. Her daughter Mary was inconsolable.
* John Knox led the revolutionary Protestant Reformation in Scotland which ousted Marie of Guise.
** Given that Henry II doubled the size of the Château making it five times bigger than it is today, where, exactly, were the royal kitchens? Visitors would surely love this tale.
Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.
Read more about Mary and the other women of Royal Chateau Amboise
Out of the Shadows
The Ladies of Royal Chateau Amboise
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